Bits and Pieces

We have two months left in Australia and while it makes me a bit sad to see the end in sight, reflecting on how much I have already done and how much I still have planned fills me with the same excitement I had waking up that morning of departure. Over the last 10 weeks I have collected bits and pieces of things that represent certain experiences or particularly fun days. I have pinned them to a bulletin board in my room that is now half full of adventures and memories. 

Here they are: 

Orientation Name Tag: “Kathryn Tafelski. Loyola Maryland. USA. Study Abroad. Arts Clayton.” These identifiers on the tag were all I was when I got here. I don’t think I wore the name tag once, and now it has a stickers from an apple and an avocado stuck to it. 

One Fish Two Fish/Sydney flyer: The one seminar of orientation we all made sure to attend was when the representative from the Extreme Adventure group came. He played a promotional video for One Fish Two Fish that gave us all chills. We ended up attending both trips which was amazing.

“I survived the Edge” bracelet: A yellow wristband I received for going “on the edge” of the Skydeck in the city. The Skydeck is a very tall building with a viewing deck at the top (much like the Sears Tower in America). The Edge is their way of making money off of you by making you pay extra to go in a box that comes out of the building with darkened sides, then goes to clear glass in an attempt to scare you. It was very anti-climatic and a bit disappointing, but the rest of the sights were amazing and made me feel very lucky to be in such an amazing city. 

Tag from AU flag shorts: I bought a pair of shorts from the Blue Mountains gift shop that are blue and have the design of the Australian flag on them. The tag was also a flag, which I kept and hung up on my bulletin board. I later learned in my Australian history class that wearing the flag has become a recent fad, first used in the 2005 Cronulla riots, which was a very racist event, and now worn at sporting events. I now feel a little silly and very touristy for having them. 

Mardi Gras Party ticket: A ticket I never needed to get into a Mardi Gras party in Sydney. 

Django Unchained movie stub: The first rainy day here we went to a movie. I felt a little weird about going to see a movie while I was in Australia, like I should be spending my time in a better way. The movie was great, even though I fell asleep for a little in the middle, and in the end it was a nice way to spend a rainy day with friends. 

Trivia Night stub: One day after our fourth hour of Theology my friend Carol and I decided to join two other girls at the bar on campus for dinner and drinks. To our surprise the bar happen to be closing as soon as we got there for the Chemistry society’s Trivia Night. We were invited to buy a ticket and stay. We were convinced by the 3 free pitchers our table received and stayed to participate in the event and ended up winning the whole thing. It was unexpectedly one of the best nights here. 

St. Patrick’s Day balloon: Towards the end of the St. Patty’s day festivities I went up to my best friend who was talking to a boy at the bar, sucked the helium out of a balloon, and introduced myself. Luckily, they thought it was funny and shared the rest of the balloon with me. I found the deflated balloon in my purse the next day. 

Elizabeth’s Drawings: The night before I left my sister gave me a journal with some pictures she had drawn me inside and in the Easter basket I got from home had a nice piece of cardboard with her drawings of our names and hearts on them. They are beautiful reminders of my favorite person in the world who I am so far away from. 

Hawaiian Leis: These came in the package I bought from the Loyola girl who was here last semester that I wear to random events with my best friend. 

Melbourne Zoo Map and Steve Irwin Zoo Visitor’s Guide: Even though I don’t really like animals, visiting the zoos in Australia have been a really fun time. 

Boomerang Magnets: I bought these in Sydney at the Blue Mountains gift store to hand out as souvenirs to my family. They remind me of how much family I have and how many more souvenirs I still need to buy. 

Scuba Diving CD: When we went scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef a professional photographer was under the water with us taking our picture by a large piece of coral. I look absolutely frightened in the pictures, but I knew I needed to buy one to commemorate the experience. I still haven’t downloaded it off the disk for fear of seeing myself again, so the whole disk just hangs on the board now. 

Bungee Jumping Certificate: The scariest experience of One Fish Two Fish and I got a certificate to prove I did it. 

Great Ocean Road voucher: The first day at Monash they gave us a business card-sized voucher for the Great Ocean Road trip that was included in our tuition. We were told that it was very important not to lose it as it was our ticket to the trip. On the day of the Great Ocean Road we were all made sure we had our tickets, and they were never even collected. 

AFL Ticket: Last weekend our whole group went to an Australian Rules Football Game with our history class. The teacher’s favorite team is Carlton, so everyone wore blue and white in support. I decided to root for Adelaide, the opposing team, just to be sure the out-of-state team would have some fans in the crowd. I became a die hard fan for the day, cheering for players I didn’t know but certainly did not mind looking at. 

Beer Olympics Bandana: One Saturday we decided to hold a beer olympics. I was part of Team Chad, our outfits represented the Chad flag colors and our desire to win. Despite with initial doubt, after Round One we were in the lead. We would have won, but things got a little out of hand, drinks spilled, people got hungry, and the games ended early. I am still very proud and count it as a win nonetheless. 

Assassins Spoon: The twelve-floor building I live in held an “assassins” tournament where everyone got a spoon with a persons name and room number on it and had to tap that person with their spoon in order to “kill” them. You would then acquire your next target and keep killing until everyone was dead. I made my first kill (Bonnie 1115) at the end of the first day with some mild stalking outside her door. My next target was Connor 504, aka one of my best friends here. I leapt for joy at the ease of which I would be able to kill him (and the fun I would have in doing it). I could barely contain my excitement as I pulled out my spoon and tapped him with it. He was instantly furious, a sore loser, and found loopholes in order to come back to life and stay alive. I was killed later that night and was not too upset with my death, as long as she killed Connor quickly, which she did. 

With two months, a trip to the Outback, Bali, and other surprise adventures left, I am sure the other half of my board will quickly fill up with tangible memories for me to take away from this experience.

The Aussie Barbie

A story about a routine activity
make a new friend

Coming to a foreign country food is always a major concern. Will the food be similar to what I eat at home? What if I don’t like their food? Where will I find my favorite foods? However, coming to Australia, a very westernized country, I was not too worried about getting all my meals. That was until after the first couple of days on our own in our new home we realized that everything on campus closed at 4:30 and finding a good dinner was harder than expected. After a few days of Dominos and PBJ sandwiches, we all decided to start finding better options for dinner.

In the Australia a barbecue, or "barbie" as it is commonly referred to around the world, is more than just a meal of grilled meat and some side dishes. It is a traditional social gathering that bonds people forever. So, in the Australian spirit, we began to barbecue all of our dinners together.

Now almost everyday there is a post in our Facebook group saying, bbq 7:30?, and we all gather around the grill to cook a variety of food. Chicken, veggie burgers, vegetables, and all sorts of steaks line the grill as we stand around chatting about our day, telling funny stories from the previous weekend’s shenanigans, and discussing our plans for future Australian adventures. It has become such a welcomed part of my day that without it the day feels incomplete. 

If we aren’t grilling we often find another way to share a meal. Whether it is a stop at Lord of the Fries in the food court before a movie on a weeknight, a salad and homework in between classes, a drunken KFC or Maccas sandwich in the middle of the night, or a trip to the Chicken Bar for a souvlaki on a hungover Saturday, eating together has bonded this group in ways only a shared love of food can. 

At home our family gathers around the table for dinner every night to share a home cooked meal and each others company; it is one of the things I miss most when I am at school. Being able to share a meal with my companions here in Australia has made them become closer to me than just friends, they are my family here and this adventure would not be the same without them. 

So while it started as an incredible inconvenience that every food place on campus or in the area closes before a standard dinner time, it has led to many memories made standing around the grill enjoying the process of making a meal together. 

One Fish Two Fish: Land Adventures

See and experience as much as I possibly can

A story modeled after a reading assignment:

   http://www.worldhum.com/features/travel-stories/shooting-kakadu-20121202/

One Fish Two Fish. The 10 day spring break adventure from Brisbane to Cairns. I had been told this trip is the highlight of the entire Australian semester abroad. The adventures are extreme and the sights are breathtaking. It is unlike any experience you have ever had or will ever have again. 

Knowing all of this going into the trip, my expectations were set pretty high. I wanted to do everything and see everything, to take it all in and never forget it. However, attempting to capture these memories in photographs turned out to be a more difficult feat than jumping off the bungee platform. I snapped endless pictures, trying to capture the perfect beauty before me from every angle so I would never forget these pieces of paradise. 

But how do you capture the thrill of a boat running through white water rapids? The awe experienced awakening after a grueling 12-hour, puke-smelling, overnight bus ride to the most beautiful sunset I had ever seen? The surreal experience of walking neck craned upwards to see the entire milky-way lighting up the sky? The fear of seeing a massive fish swimming too close to your legs in clear blue waters? Each destination brought new experiences and sights to capture along with new emotions to record with the photographs. I was reminded of this challenge at every stop, each place carrying its own beauty waiting to be appreciated.

Carlo Sandblow and Rainbow Beach

Carlo Sandblow

After a two hour bus ride complete with multiple communal bags of wine passed around, games being played, new friends being made, and the initial excitement of finally being on this amazing trip still lingering, everyone was in an exceptionally happy mood. Our first stop was to the Carlo Sandblow in Rainbow Beach. Chatter filled the air as we made our way through a small bit of forest until we reached the end of the walk and were silenced by the amount of sand in front of us. Straight ahead was a mountain of sand that looked impossible to climb, to the right we could see the blue water in the distance, and to the left a steep decline to a cliff overlooking the rest of the water. 

sand shadows

I pulled out my camera and began to take pictures, of sand. No picture could capture the vastness of this sandblow, or the thrill of running down the mountain of sand so fast that you feel your limbs becoming disconnected from your body, or the anticipation of what this trip would bring felt when looking over a cliff out into the blue Australian waters. Instead we took goofy pictures of our shadows in the sand and pictures that made it look like we were jumping off the cliff, the sand and waters framing our bodies midair. 

The next day as everyone was finishing dinner, my friend Carol and I had some time to kill so we took a walk around the small town of Rainbow Beach. We pondered why it was called Rainbow Beach as we walked; maybe there was a rainbow when it was first discovered, maybe the guy who found it was gay, maybe he really liked Skittles, maybe it used to be a big gay party beach turned quaint retiree village; but it wasn’t until we reached the water that we understood. Somehow every color of the rainbow was present during this sunset hour. The reds, oranges, and yellows were muted and fading away with the sun; the greens and browns and tans were in the sand and the trees behind; the blues and purples and whites were all mixed in the water. The colors weren’t distinct, but they were definitely present and the name Rainbow Beach could not have been more fitting. We kicked ourselves for not bringing our cameras, knowing how hard it would be to describe the fascinating display of nature’s beauty we had just stumbled upon. 

wild dingo

Fraser Island 

The world’s largest sand island, complete with freshwater lakes, rainforest, wild dingos (one really did eat a baby), a shark feeding ground, roads that can only be navigated by off-road vehicles, and a highway located on the sand where waves hit your car and sends you flying. As our tour guide rattled off facts about this unique little place I tried to take a few pictures out of the vehicle window; however, the sand roads were so bouncy and uneven severe carsickness set in and I was unable to get any photos that weren’t blurry. When finally on steady ground, I couldn’t capture how giant and powerful the waves were crashing behind me, or how clean the freshwater lake was, or how dense and old the rainforest felt surrounding me. This strange little quirk of an island intrigued me with what secrets could be hidden deep in the sand or in the depths of the rainforest, igniting a sense of adventure that the few pictures I had at the end of the day would never show. 

our transportation around the island

driving along the highway

The Whitsundays

The most beautiful place I have ever seen. Hands down, no questions, 110% the best. In awe, I snapped away on my camera knowing that my point-and-shoot Panasonic could never capture the subtle variations in the blues and greens and whites in the water. That you would never be able to see the silvers of white poke through as the water shallows and a sand dune appears in the middle of the ocean in a picture from so far away. That the white sands would look like shreds of paper, not diamonds scattered catching the sun in ways I didn’t know sand could. That the pictures of the coral washed up onto the shore would never truly show the fascination I felt looking at the intricacy of each piece of the sea. I knew you would never be able to feel the life teeming from the dense green foliage on the islands clustered through the water. I knew the sunset over the water would not show how happy I was to be witnessing this natural beauty with great friends. I knew that seeing a little white dot on the corner of the picture would not bring the same sense of disbelief that I felt when I saw a fancy yacht coast by and thought how could I possibly be on the same island as these millionaires? I took a new picture every few steps anyway, in vain hopes that one may contain something the others didn’t to help me tell others about this paradise. 

White Haven Beach

South Molle Island Sunset 

At the end of the day, the most frustrating part was not the inability to capture these beautiful places in a photograph, but that they were so indescribably amazing that I was actually at a loss for words. But I try. I try so that these memories will be preserved forever. So that maybe one word or one picture will trigger the plethora of emotions I felt during this trip and I will feel again the out-of-body happiness that was One Fish Two Fish. 

One Fish Two Fish: Water Adventures

A large portion of my recent ten day spring break trip was spent in the water. From swimming in the clean waters of Lake McKenna on Fraser Island to spending three days on the beautiful Whitsunday Islands to white water rafting and ending it all by exploring a rainforest on the last day, I had many amazing water adventures. 

I felt most at home in the fresh water rivers, even though they were unlike anything I had previously experienced. On Day 7 we went white water rafting on the grade 4 rapids of the Tulle River. The area had just experienced a good deal of rain and the dam at the top of the river was letting the maximum amount of water through so we had the best possible conditions for the wildest ride. Having witnessed the power of the Niagara Falls rapids I was excited to try my hand at conquering this natural powerhouse. 

Rafting the Tulle

Paddling along the Tulle, I was like Lewis and Clarke exploring new regions of my inner thoughts as remote and unknown as the Louisiana Purchase. Our guide, a humorous Sacagawea, kept my mind grounded and body boated as I took in the rapids before me and the rainforest cliffs above. Revelations flowed like the water hitting a rock adapting its course to the obstacles presented, the kind of revelations that only make sense in the water.

The fresh waters of the Tulle were dark and fierce as they crashed over massive rocks. This was a major contrast to the calm, breathtaking, indescribable beauty we had just been surrounded by for three days on the Whitsunday Islands. 

White Haven Beach, The Whitsunday Islands

Easter Sunday was our first day on the Islands and was one of the best day of my life. Surrounded by water every containing every possible shade of blue to green, my happiness was as pure as the white sand. The impossibly blue water stretched until it met with the cloud-dotted sky at a point that was surely the edge of the world. Riding in a speed boat and taking it all in I finally felt like I understood what Charlie from the novel Perks of Being a Wallflower meant when he said, “And in that moment, I swear we were infinite,” as I had never felt more in awe of being alive.  

Easter Sunday on the beach

Not only did we get to explore these immaculate waters on a speedboat and day-long Catamaran ride, but I was lucky enough to snorkel through multiple reefs and scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef. 

snorkeling

My first time snorkeling I was very nervous about how the permanent residents of the reef would react to this human home invasion. My heart rose to my throat and panic ensued as I saw the giant fin pass along side me and disappear into the great blue beyond. I wondered what other of his friends followed and I began to swim as if they indeed were chasing me with their mouths open waiting to devour my exposed toes. 

As the waters got shallower and I could see the bottom, I was able to calm down and enjoy the sea life unfolding before me. Floating along the top of the water I observed the fish darting in and out of coral and the strange sea plants opening and closing like they were breathing. I felt like I was finally apart of my favorite childhood Disney film, The Little Mermaid, swimming with all my friends just waiting for them to burst into song. 

The Great Barrier Reef

Scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. Schools of fish weaved through the coral, us just guests in the precious ecosystem they have created for themselves hidden from the dangers of the world. My bubbles floated to the surface like jellyfish as I focused on breathing slowly in and out of my mouth respirator avoiding the temptation to inhale through the nose. This adapted breathing soon became second nature and I was able to take in the incredible sights before me: fish the colors of electric purple and blue that surely glowed in the dark, coral so vibrant and intricate that with one accidental bump I feared I would ruin its existence, small sand colored fish that blended into the bottom for survival, a Nemo fish happily swimming in his anemone, plateaus of coral with small ridges that were home to even more sea life, the colors of the ecosystem popping like the neon lights at a dance club. 

We continued along what I believed to be the bottom, then, making a slight adjustment, went over a ridge of coral and found a whole new level to the bottom of the sea to the explore. The possibilities were as endless as fish and I was never more thankful to have a guide on my arm steering me in the right direction so I would not be washed out to big blue beyond. 

Returning to the surface I felt different. Besides the ears still popping and heart still racing, I felt like I had witnessed a great secret. I had become a part of the underwater world that previously was so foreign and inaccessible and I was full of awe. The same awe that had filled me while riding on the speedboat the first day was back and it would continue to emerge throughout this trip of a lifetime. 

happiness after scuba diving

One Fish Two Fish: Air Adventures

do something that scares me

bungee jumping

bungee jumping

The stairs creaked as I made my way up to the looming platform in the sky. I refrained from peering over the edge at the turn of the staircase. The climb has got to be the worst part, I thought, once I get up there it won’t be that bad. Reaching the top, I kept my composure in check. I gave simple answers to the tattooed adrenaline junkies working the top and tuned out their foreboding scream-o music and focused on my breathing. You will be fine. You will be fine. 

I sat on the makeshift bench and let the attending take care of my safety. With a backup harness on my waist and just a towel and rope wrapped tight around my legs, I made my way to the edge.   I can’t, I can’t, I said as I struggled to tip toe forward to the bitter edge of the platform. He instructed me how to hold my arms; I promptly forget and reconciled with the fact I was going to snap my neck at the bottom. 

“You can. Now smile at the camera and jump.”

Are you kidding me? Smile at the camera? I’m not worried about looking nice for a picture I’m about to jump off a freaking 164 feet ledge! 

Every cell in my body screamed not to inch closer, not to look down, not to jump off the platform; but I overcame the sharp stinging protective instincts and leapt (well more like fell) towards my imminent arrival at the lake below. My eyes squeezed shut as the air whooshed past, leaving my still churning stomach 164 feet above.

I’m gonna throw up, ohmygod I’m gonna puke right into that lake. Oh no, I’m going back up again. OPEN YOUR EYES!

 My limp arms flopped like a rag doll as the weight of my body tightened the chord of the rope and shot me to the top like a rock soaring out of a slingshot. I caught back up with my stomach and frozen voice-box at my jolting return to the top. Screams and curses flew uncontrollably out of my mouth as the cheers from those yet to experience this paralyzing terror erupted below.

Okay how many times do I bounce up and down like a yo-yo? I should have counted the people who went before me. Ohmygod I’m cursing and everyone is cheering for me I sound ridiculous. Oh shoot what was I supposed to do with my arms? Chin down and dive arms right? Well I messed that up. I wonder if they can tell how terrifying I am. Alright, seriously now I’m ready to get down.  

As the strong attendant lowered my shaking and limp body onto the raft to untie my feet he asked how it was. 

Terrifying, incredible, life-changing, stomach-dropping, heart-pounding, unnatural and unreal, never doing it again, can’t believe I closed my eyes, get me out of here, get me a drink, how am I still shaking? 

All these thoughts ran through my head and all I managed out of a scratchy through and shaky voice was good. Feeling failed as a creative writer but accomplished as an adventurous soul I made my way to the next victims, as innocent as sheep waiting for the slaughter, all eager to hear about my experience.

“That was the most terrifying experience of my life,” I recounted my entire body still quivering uncontrollably; the cells that previously warned me not to jump were now rejecting the adrenaline and punishing me for putting them through so much fear. 

“Was it easier to go face first instead of dive?” A friend asked. 

“Is that what I did?!” I asked unable to recall the pinnacle moment when I jumped. She laughed and began her journey up to the steps. 

Poor chick doesn’t even know whats coming. 

I shook my head and headed to the bar to grab a drink before my turn at the swing, which I knew would be a breeze compared to the stomach-dropping, death-defying jump I had just accomplished. Before I my fingers could stop shaking my group made our way to the three-person swing. We were to be strapped in then hoisted up and back so when released we would swing out have the most amazing view of Cairns. I was completely calm until they began to raise us up. 

Why are we going so high? Oh no we’re as high as the bungee platform. I didn’t think it would be this high. It’s raining. Of course it would rain as we go up. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. The light is green. Oh shit the light is green. Amanda is gonna pull that rope soon and we are going to fall right on our faces; straight down and land on our face in a bush. Why hasn’t she pulled it yet? Come on Amanda pull the freakin’ rope! Here we goooo!

For an instant we were floating through the air, separated from the harness as we fell and then were swung through over the ridge and back. My petrified screams soon turned to insane laughter as the swing slowed. My heart rate returned back to a normal rhythm and the smile spread across my face. 

I can’t believe I did that. I can’t believe I did that. I am SO glad I did that.